Ain't Them Bodies Saints Inspired This Cool, Digital Comic Book

David Lowery's newest film Ain't Them Bodies Saints formally opens in Dallas Friday at the Magnolia, but many locals have already caught a viewing -- either through a leaked screener or June's surprise Oak Cliff Film Festival airing. Even if you haven't, let me assure you: Lowery's gritty love story is compelling. By allowing the lead's bond (played by Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara) to unfold through flashbacks, you trust the pair has always existed within each other's gravity.

Their prefated destiny, anchored off-camera, is revealed through sparse, quick snippets of shared scenes, peaking up throughout the film. Lowery wanted to tap their mysterious past so he, Criterion Collection's design artist Eric Skillman and comic book artist Matthew Southworth created a digital, illustrated prequel. New Tattoo summons those early, lusty years -- before the botched robbery, prison and baby. Flip through the thing, for free, here.